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Broncos sticking with Brock Osweiler

However, Joseph says other changes may be in offing

By Nicki Jhabvala

The Denver Post

Posted:
11/06/2017 09:24:26 PM MST

Broncos quarterback Brock Osweiler fumbles the ball as he is sacked by Eagles defensive tackle Beau Allen during the third quarter Sunday at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia. (Joe Robbins / Getty Images)

ENGLEWOOD — Vance Joseph will return to the drawing board and explore an array of possible changes to try to fix the Broncos' collective disarray.

The coaching hasn't been good enough, the coach admitted Monday. The execution hasn't been up to the team's standards, either.

The Broncos are, in the words of more than one player, "not a very good team right now."

And after four consecutive losses, they've yet to figure out why — why the work during the week hasn't translated to wins, why a coaching staff packed with play-callers isn't creating the plays that work, why a once-efficient team has seemingly come unglued.

"I've said this after every loss that we've got to coach better," Joseph said Monday. "When you lose football games in this league, you have to coach better. You have to play better. It's a league that's really built and operated to have equal parts. So the difference sometimes is the coaching, the difference is the scheme and play-calling. So when you don't win, absolutely you have to coach better, and that starts with me. I understand that, because in this league coaching is very, very important, and the better-coached teams win. I'll leave it at that."

But one change Joseph will not consider this week is at quarterback.

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Brock Osweiler will remain the team's starter against New England on Sunday night in a potential make-or-break game. Osweiler took over for Trevor Siemian in Philadelphia and completed 19-of-38 passes for 208 yards, a touchdown and two interceptions. But he nearly had three more passes intercepted and took three sacks.

"I thought Brock had an excellent week of preparation. It felt good to our team, it was a confident week, the energy was better, it was urgent, it was detailed ... so Brock's experience and Brock's personality really helped our team bounce back and gave us confidence going into this week," Joseph said. "So I think Brock's earned it from that standpoint. In the football game, it wasn't perfect. He had two interceptions, which we can't have. He understands that. He had a couple ill-advised throws.

"Brock did some good things as far as putting us in good plays. The red zone audible to (Demaryius Thomas) for the touchdown, that was one of Brock's audibles. I think Brock deserves one more week to kind of prove he's the guy for us because he had a great week of preparation."

Joseph said he's not looking beyond Sunday in terms of his quarterback, but the reality is if Osweiler plays well or at least average, he could retain his job. Because the problems with the Broncos go well beyond the quarterback or even one position.

After the 51-23 loss to the Eagles, many players echoed Joseph's comment Sunday evening when he said they need to self-evaluate their play as well as their persistence. Joseph insinuated at the time that players quit late as a frustration mounted.

"It was tough to see during the game, because you can't watch every player on each play. But after watching the tape, I don't question the effort. I really don't," Joseph said Monday. "I question guys pressing, I question guys trying to make plays, I question guys freelancing trying to make plays. That I do question. But the effort was there."

The Broncos' problems reached all three phases Sunday and nearly every detail of the game. Their defense that has been the more consistent and effective unit for two-plus years allowed 419 yards and 51 points. The offense was 3-of-13 on third downs, committed two turnovers and totaled a season-low 35 yards rushing. Special-teams left plenty of room for improvement. Play calls were questioned and, to further dig themselves into a hole, the Broncos amassed 14 penalties for a loss of 105 yards.

Some of those penalties were a result of undisciplined play, Joseph said, such as jumping offside. Others were close calls and the costs of "playing football," he said.

But all issues lead back to the same questions the Broncos have been trying to answer for a month now: What is wrong, and why hasn't it been fixed?

"We've lost all five the same way. Again, it starts with me," Joseph said. "I say that because we have to figure out our brand of football to maximize our chances of winning. That comes from me. I have to figure out our best formula to win as a team."

After the Broncos' first shutout loss in nearly 25 years, against the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 7, Joseph said he would reconfigure practices, to move red-zone work up during the week and to find new ways to teach players. Their previous methods weren't working, he said then.

Monday, Joseph said he'll consider all options to tweak the coaching, even the play-calling.

"You have to change something," he said, adding: "Whether it's personnel, how we game-plan, how we call plays, how we play as a football team together — offensively and defensively and teams together — that's also a thought. But I got to figure it out. That's obviously being explored.

"I have to coach better and get our coaches to coach better. Because things in the football game that are happening, it's not by accident. So we have to figure out a way to coach our players better and to have better game plans and to manage the games better."

Butt, Kelly to remain on injured reserve

The Broncos will leave tight end Jake Butt and quarterback Chad Kelly on injured reserve, Joseph said, officially ending the season for both rookies.

The Broncos were hopeful that Butt, whom they selected in the fifth round out of Michigan in April, would recover enough from the torn ACL he suffered in his final college game to be able to suit up at some point this season. Butt returned to practice three weeks ago, but he experienced some soreness in the knee after his first week back. Though Butt was back at practice last week, the Broncos decided to err on the side of caution with a player they believe will have a strong long-term impact on the offense.

The Broncos had until this week either to bring Butt and Kelly up to the active roster or leave them on the injured-reserve list for the rest of the season.

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